Leadership

Colin Armstrong

Colin Armstrong

President & CEO

Colin is a professional mechanical engineer with more than 35 years of experience in the hydrogen sector.

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Steven Piepgrass, P.Eng, MBA

Steven Piepgrass, P.Eng, MBA

Chief Operations Officer

Steven is a chemical engineer with over 20 years of experience across the energy sector, including natural gas utilities, gas midstream, and renewable energy.

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Patric Ouellette, Ph.d, P.eng

Patric Ouellette, Ph.d, P.eng

VP Stations and Distribution

Patric is a clean technology executive and a mechanical engineer with over 25 years of experience in the development of fuel systems for alternative fuels.

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Sabina Russell, P.Eng

Sabina Russell, P.Eng

VP Clean Fuels

Sabina is a professional mechanical engineer with 25 years of experience in the hydrogen sector.

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Gerhard Schmidt, P.eng, Cp.eng, Pmp

Gerhard Schmidt, P.eng, Cp.eng, Pmp

VP Engineering

Gerhard has more than 25 years of experience in the mechanical and process design of gas, water, and thermal systems in Canada, Australia, the United States, and Europe.

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Terry Howe

Terry Howe

VP Commercial Development

With more than 30 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, Terry brings deep expertise across the hydrogen and renewable natural gas value chains.

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Kurt Loewen, CPA, MSc

Kurt Loewen, CPA, MSc

Chief Financial Officer

Kurt Loewen is HTEC’s CFO; he has over 13 years of experience as a CFO of high-growth public companies in the forestry and mineral exploration sectors.

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Directors

Colin Armstrong

President/CEO HTEC & CENCO Innovations

Peter Bradshaw

Corporate Director

Rick Hopp

Corporate Director

Mark Kirby

Senior Advisor, CHFCA

Brad Babineaux

Corporate Director, & Senior Vice President Executive Operations, Chart Industries.

Rick Hopp

Corporate Director

Colin Armstrong

President & CEO

Colin is a professional mechanical engineer with more than 35 years of experience in the hydrogen sector and clean technology company growth. He is a co-founder of HTEC and has directed the company since 2011. Colin led the development of British Columbia’s first hydrogen station network, the province’s first commercial-scale electrolyzer facility, and the first sustained commercial deployment of a Class 8 fuel cell truck—creating BC’s first hydrogen hub.

Prior to HTEC, Colin led hydrogen initiatives at Ballard, Sacré-Davey Engineering, and Dynetek. Colin was a member of the Canadian Hydrogen Association board of directors from 2011 to 2022 and has been a director of Hydrogen BC since 2020.

Colin has been recognized for the contributions he has made to the hydrogen sector. He received the Canadian Hydrogen Convention 2024 Hydrogen Leader of the Year Award and is a 2022 Clean50 Honoree.

Colin Armstrong

President & CEO

Colin is a professional mechanical engineer with more than 35 years of experience in the hydrogen sector and clean technology company growth. He is a co-founder of HTEC and has directed the company since 2011. Colin led the development of British Columbia’s first hydrogen station network, the province’s first commercial-scale electrolyzer facility, and the first sustained commercial deployment of a Class 8 fuel cell truck—creating BC’s first hydrogen hub.

Prior to HTEC, Colin led hydrogen initiatives at Ballard, Sacré-Davey Engineering, and Dynetek. Colin was a member of the Canadian Hydrogen Association board of directors from 2011 to 2022 and has been a director of Hydrogen BC since 2020.

Colin has been recognized for the contributions he has made to the hydrogen sector. He received the Canadian Hydrogen Convention 2024 Hydrogen Leader of the Year Award and is a 2022 Clean50 Honoree.

Sabina Russell, P.Eng

VP, Clean Fuels

Sabina is a professional mechanical engineer with 25 years’ experience in the hydrogen sector. She is responsible for HTEC’s Clean Fuels department, involving production and liquefaction asset development, partnerships, and plant operations.

Prior to joining HTEC, Sabina was Principal & co-founder at Zen Clean Energy Solutions for seven years. She led Zen’s project management department, with a focus on consortium-based projects deploying clean and zero-emission technologies. She also led Zen’s hydrogen strategy work, including the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada, as well as a Maritimes Hydrogen Study for OERA and the BC Hydrogen Study. Sabina worked with Ballard Power Systems for over 18 years, where she held a range of technical and commercial roles. She ended her tenure at Ballard as Director of Product Engineering, leading a team of 95 engineers and scientists to develop fuel cell stack and system products, as well as provide engineering services to customers including automotive OEMs. Sabina is also the Chair of the Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA).

Sabina was featured in the "Women Leading Cleantech" 2022 by Foresight Canada and was a 2021 Clean50 Honouree.

Patric Ouellette, Ph.d, P.eng

VP Stations and Distribution

Patric is a clean technology company executive and a professional mechanical engineer with over 25 years of experience in developing fuel systems for alternative fuels. He is responsible for developing and operating HTEC’s hydrogen distribution and fueling assets. 

Prior to joining HTEC, Patric was a founder of Westport Innovations and part of the leadership team that grew it from a university spin-off to a global industry leader in alternative fuel systems. As Westport’s CTO, Patric led technology and product development of gaseous fuel systems for a range of applications, including natural gas and hydrogen blends in transit buses. In partnership with European and North American engine manufacturers and transit agencies, he led the investigation of high-pressure hydrogen injection into a variety of engine types.  

After leaving Westport, Patric worked as a consultant for several clean technology organizations. He contributed to the characterization and modelling of clean technology options for heavy-duty vehicles, and sectoral emissions reduction strategies. Patric also established market positioning for a new renewable fuel production method and provided technological leadership for a start-up involved in an innovative refrigerated transport system. 

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Patric Ouellette, Ph.d, P.eng

VP Stations and Distribution

Patric is a clean technology company executive and a professional mechanical engineer with over 25 years of experience in developing fuel systems for alternative fuels. He is responsible for developing and operating HTEC’s hydrogen distribution and fueling assets. 

Prior to joining HTEC, Patric was a founder of Westport Innovations and part of the leadership team that grew it from a university spin-off to a global industry leader in alternative fuel systems. As Westport’s CTO, Patric led technology and product development of gaseous fuel systems for a range of applications, including natural gas and hydrogen blends in transit buses. In partnership with European and North American engine manufacturers and transit agencies, he led the investigation of high-pressure hydrogen injection into a variety of engine types.  

After leaving Westport, Patric worked as a consultant for several clean technology organizations. He contributed to the characterization and modelling of clean technology options for heavy-duty vehicles, and sectoral emissions reduction strategies. Patric also established market positioning for a new renewable fuel production method and provided technological leadership for a start-up involved in an innovative refrigerated transport system. 

​

Sabina Russell, P.Eng

VP, Clean Fuels

Sabina is a professional mechanical engineer with 25 years’ experience in the hydrogen sector. She is responsible for HTEC’s Clean Fuels department, involving production and liquefaction asset development, partnerships, and plant operations.

Prior to joining HTEC, Sabina was Principal & co-founder at Zen Clean Energy Solutions for seven years. She led Zen’s project management department, with a focus on consortium-based projects deploying clean and zero-emission technologies. She also led Zen’s hydrogen strategy work, including the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada, as well as a Maritimes Hydrogen Study for OERA and the BC Hydrogen Study. Sabina worked with Ballard Power Systems for over 18 years, where she held a range of technical and commercial roles. She ended her tenure at Ballard as Director of Product Engineering, leading a team of 95 engineers and scientists to develop fuel cell stack and system products, as well as provide engineering services to customers including automotive OEMs. Sabina is also the Chair of the Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA).

Sabina was featured in the "Women Leading Cleantech" 2022 by Foresight Canada and was a 2021 Clean50 Honouree.

Sabina Russell, P.Eng

VP, Clean Fuels

Sabina is a professional mechanical engineer with 25 years’ experience in the hydrogen sector. She is responsible for HTEC’s Clean Fuels department, involving production and liquefaction asset development, partnerships, and plant operations.

Prior to joining HTEC, Sabina was Principal & co-founder at Zen Clean Energy Solutions for seven years. She led Zen’s project management department, with a focus on consortium-based projects deploying clean and zero-emission technologies. She also led Zen’s hydrogen strategy work, including the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada, as well as a Maritimes Hydrogen Study for OERA and the BC Hydrogen Study. Sabina worked with Ballard Power Systems for over 18 years, where she held a range of technical and commercial roles. She ended her tenure at Ballard as Director of Product Engineering, leading a team of 95 engineers and scientists to develop fuel cell stack and system products, as well as provide engineering services to customers including automotive OEMs. Sabina is also the Chair of the Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA).

Sabina was featured in the "Women Leading Cleantech" 2022 by Foresight Canada and was a 2021 Clean50 Honouree.

Gerhard Schmidt, P.eng, Cp.eng, Pmp

VP, Engineering

Gerhard has more than 20 years' experience in the mechanical and process design of gas, water, and thermal systems in Canada, Australia, the United States, and Europe.

He spent over seven years in the hydrogen fuel cell transportation sector working with Daimler Benz on engine development for buses and the battery replacement market for industrial forklifts. He has spent the last six years developing hydrogen infrastructure for various end use applications. Prior to this, Gerhard started and ran a successful consulting firm/partnership in Australia for eight years. He managed a clients' $80-100M-per-year capital projects portfolio, improving the portfolio’s on-budget delivery, streamlined project development and approval processes, and was a member of numerous large project development teams ($100M-$1B project spend), providing engineering design for gas extraction plants, water pumping stations, and underground-mine services.

Gerhard Schmidt, P.eng, Cp.eng, Pmp

VP, Engineering

Gerhard has more than 20 years' experience in the mechanical and process design of gas, water, and thermal systems in Canada, Australia, the United States, and Europe.

He spent over seven years in the hydrogen fuel cell transportation sector working with Daimler Benz on engine development for buses and the battery replacement market for industrial forklifts. He has spent the last six years developing hydrogen infrastructure for various end use applications. Prior to this, Gerhard started and ran a successful consulting firm/partnership in Australia for eight years. He managed a clients' $80-100M-per-year capital projects portfolio, improving the portfolio’s on-budget delivery, streamlined project development and approval processes, and was a member of numerous large project development teams ($100M-$1B project spend), providing engineering design for gas extraction plants, water pumping stations, and underground-mine services.

Terry Howe

VP, Commercial Development

Terry Howe is Vice President of Commercial Development at HTEC, where he leads business development and strategic partnerships that support the growth of hydrogen mobility. He oversees vehicle leasing, engineering services, government relations, and marketing and communications.

With more than 30 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, Terry brings deep expertise across the hydrogen and renewable natural gas value chains. His career spans engineering, program management, product management, and sales, with a proven track record of advancing clean energy technologies and commercialization efforts globally.

Before joining HTEC, Terry spent over 27 years at Ballard Power Systems in a variety of technical and commercial roles. He concluded his tenure as Sales Director for North and South America, driving key market growth initiatives. Terry’s extensive background in hydrogen and clean energy supports HTEC’s commercial growth and the development of strategic industry partnerships.

Terry Howe

VP, Commercial Development

Terry Howe is Vice President of Commercial Development at HTEC, where he leads business development and strategic partnerships that support the growth of hydrogen mobility. He oversees vehicle leasing, engineering services, government relations, and marketing and communications.

With more than 30 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, Terry brings deep expertise across the hydrogen and renewable natural gas value chains. His career spans engineering, program management, product management, and sales, with a proven track record of advancing clean energy technologies and commercialization efforts globally.

Before joining HTEC, Terry spent over 27 years at Ballard Power Systems in a variety of technical and commercial roles. He concluded his tenure as Sales Director for North and South America, driving key market growth initiatives. Terry’s extensive background in hydrogen and clean energy supports HTEC’s commercial growth and the development of strategic industry partnerships.

Kurt Loewen, Cpa, Msc

Chief Financial Officer

Kurt Loewen is HTEC’s CFO; he has over 13 years of experience as a CFO of high-growth public companies in the forestry and mineral exploration sectors.

Kurt was a key member of the HTEC team that successfully closed a $217 million investment from Chart Industries, Inc. and I Squared Capital.

Prior to his current role, Kurt was HTEC’s director of project finance. In that capacity, Kurt provided support for business development submissions for funding programs and project analysis, and reporting to multiple federal and provincial agencies. He also manages HTEC’s low carbon fuel credits.

Kurt Loewen, Cpa, Msc

Chief Financial Officer

Kurt Loewen is HTEC’s CFO; he has over 13 years of experience as a CFO of high-growth public companies in the forestry and mineral exploration sectors.

Kurt was a key member of the HTEC team that successfully closed a $217 million investment from Chart Industries, Inc. and I Squared Capital.

Prior to his current role, Kurt was HTEC’s director of project finance. In that capacity, Kurt provided support for business development submissions for funding programs and project analysis, and reporting to multiple federal and provincial agencies. He also manages HTEC’s low carbon fuel credits.